


One Feral Tomcat

by frechi123, Hamino (frechi123)



Series: Alex and Friends in the Modern Times [7]
Category: Hamilton - Miranda
Genre: Alex is a vicious tomcat, All three of them hurt something, CRAZINESS ALL AROUND, Eliza saves them all last minute, Gen, John breaks something, No one else to call, No point to tagging their romantic relations, Phillip is George and Martha's foster kid, The others are only mentioned in conversation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-21
Updated: 2018-05-21
Packaged: 2019-05-08 12:21:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14694138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frechi123/pseuds/frechi123, https://archiveofourown.org/users/frechi123/pseuds/Hamino
Summary: The Washingtons are out on date night! So guess who got stuck watching Martha's seemingly innocent cat? Alexander, Eliza, and John. Unfortunately, looks can be deceiving.





	One Feral Tomcat

**Author's Note:**

> I started thinking about the line in "A Winter's Ball" and this came out of it :P
> 
>  
> 
> ft. a very cutely tired Phillip

"We'll be back around 11 p.m. You may help yourselves to anything in the fridge," Martha was saying, as she adjusted her shawl on her shoulders. "Phillip's already in bed, so you won't have to worry about him much. Oh, and do be sure that Alex here stays out of trouble, will you?"

Alexander, John, and Eliza followed her gaze to the ground, where her tomcat was rubbing his head against her leg as she gave him a quick pat.

"Don't worry, Martha," said Eliza, picking up the cat, "we'll make sure they  _both_ stay out of trouble."

Alexander nudged her with his elbow. "Hey!" 

Martha chuckled, before turning to the sound of neighing horses. "I'm coming, George!" She turned back to them. "We'll see you later."

And she was out the door.

==========

"What should we do while we wait for Alex to need something?" asked John.

He was sprawled out on the couch back down in the Washingtons' sitting area. Off to the side, Eliza stood leaning over Martha's favorite armchair, where the cat was sitting. Noises could be heard from the kitchen, and then Alexander poked his head out the entryway.

"I guess we just leave him until he starts complaining," he said, with a wooden spoon in one hand and his phone in the other. Eliza peered at him curiously.

"If you're baking in there," she said warningly, "you'd better stop right now unless one of us comes in here to help you. You know full well about your experience with kitchens and trying to bake on your own."

Alexander rolled his eyes. "Why do you think I asked James for baking lessons? Gee wilikers, cut me some slack here!" He shook the wooden spoon in the air.

"Only you would say something as out there as 'gee wilikers', Alex," said John between his laughter, which Eliza had promptly joined into. Alexander stuck out his tongue and went back into the kitchen.

Two hours passed by before John and Eliza, who replaced Alex in the armchair, feel asleep and Alexander finally came out of the kitchen. He shook his head at the sight before him before glancing around and realizing something was off.

_Where is Alex?_

He checked all the upstairs rooms and half of the downstairs area, away from Phillip so he didn't wake him. When it was clear that the cat was nowhere there, he sighed resignedly and headed for the section of the house where Phillip's room was. As he passed by his room, he noticed that the door was open a crack. That was odd, because Phillip typically left the door closed when he was trying to be asleep. Mainly because Alex was a restless cat, and things often got wrecked if doors were left open to rooms for him.

Nervously, he peeked into the room. It was dark, but he could make out something moving slowly under the covers. He tiptoed in, trying to see if it was Phillip, when a sudden flash of fur came into his path and he tripped and hit his head against the bed's headboard. The covers shot up and melted away, light following after along with a very tired and terrified looking Phillip shooting up and scanning his room for the source.

"Al?" he asked while yawning, much calmer when he found it. "What are you doing in my room?"

"What are you still doing up?" Alexander countered.

Phillip giggles. "Fair point."

Alexander stood up off the floor. "Your mom called and asked us to cat-sit. I was just looking for Alex. He wasn't in any other part of the house, so I was looking over here and saw your door open. Don't you usually shut it at night?"

"Yeah," said Phillip. "Guess I was too distracted. I have a test to study for, and I'm still studying for it now."

"Well, judging by the flash of fur I'm sure I saw, the cat was in here. I'll have to keep - "

A loud shouting sound cut him off. He and Phillip looked at one another.

"That doesn't sound good." Phillip rose out of bed. "Let's go see what it was."

==========

Alexander and Phillip had barely made it back to the sitting room before they took in the sight before them. There was a deep slash in Martha's chair, which matched the one on Eliza's arm, still running with blood. The glass center of the coffee table had been smashed, only leaving the wooden frame. The large ladder George used for roofing was in front of it, opened out, and the chandelier that was usually up there had fallen and broken slightly. Under it, the two of them could see a freckled arm and leg sticking out in a weird position.

Phillip immediately screamed out in terror.

"What happened?!" Alexander cried out, looking to Eliza for an answer while gesturing to where John was supposed to be.

Eliza looked up from her arm. "It's the cat! He's evil!"

"At least I'm not the only one who sees," said Phillip, widening his eyes as far as his state will allow.

"Sorry we woke you up, Phil," she said with a guilty look.

He waved her off. "It's okay, Liz." Then he walked over to John and tried to lift the chandelier off of him. "What happened to John?"

"I accidentally stepped on his tail," came a weary voice. Then John pushed it off with one hand (with some help from Phillip), but didn't move from his position. "Then he freaked out and jumped up the chandelier off the chair and TV." He gestured vaguely to the latter which had turned 90°. "I got the ladder to try and get him down, but he jumped on my head and I had to try to fight him off. Then I grabbed the chandelier and went down crashing." He pointed at his face, covered in scratches. "Then he scratched Eliza when she tried to restrain him and escaped to the patio."

"Uh oh," Phillip said, hand over his mouth. "He's not allowed out there anymore. Last time he was out there, he slipped away."

Eliza and Alexander walked over to John in an attempt to help him out of the table prison. He howled in pain when they grabbed at his left arm and right leg. Nevertheless, they helped him to the couch while Phillip looked on.

"What are we going to do?" he asked. "Alex's probably up a tree and John's incapacitated, and my parents will be here in 30 minutes!" (For an 8-year-old, he knew a lot of big words.) He started pacing, albeit a bit shakily because he was still tired. "We're going to get in trouble..." and at this he started crying. Eliza ran over to him.

"Don't cry, Phillip," she said, stroking his hair. "We'll fix this before they come home, okay? John and I will stay here and try to get some tips on how to fix everything." She turned to Alexander. "Alex, will you and Phillip go and look for the cat?"

Alexander nodded. "Of course. Come on, Phillip, I know you're still a bit tired." He lifted Phillip onto his back, and made a move for the front door. "We'll try to be fast."

As soon as they left, Eliza turned to John, who was still on the couch. "Call Laf, Aaron, and Theo. They may know what we have to do here..."

==========

"Get down from there, Alex!" called Phillip, in his tired, dry teary-eyed stupor.

He and Alexander were at Hollendaise Park, where the cat had managed to get stuck up the old cherry tree. Phillip had said the last time he escaped, this is where he'd come, and Alexander had rolled his eyes wondering why the stupid cat would do that if he even learned anything from the last time.

The latter sighed, and prepared to climb up the tree to get the cat down. Unfortunately, right when he was halfway up (about five feet up), Alex jumped down onto his head and onto the ground, causing him to lose his grip and fall. Phillip managed to catch the cat with minimal scratching before he got away again.

Holding the cat in his arms, who was desperately clawing the air trying to get away, Phillip turned to Alexander, who was now covered in burrs and cuts, with wide, yet tired, concerned eyes. "Uh, should we call Liz and let her know this ahead of time?"

Alexander sent him a _what do you think?_ look.

==========

"Yeah, thanks, Aaron," said John, holding his good arm in a weird position in order to get it to his ear. "Don't worry, you, me, Eliza, Alex, and Herc are still on for game night. But is there any way we can hold it at mine? Let's just say I got into a bit of an accident." He paused. "No, I didn't fight anyone. If anything, _they_ fought _me_."

Eliza caught his eye from the other side of the room and he relinquished his phone to her. "Aaron, we'll explain later, I promise, but we're on a time crunch. Huh? Okay, will do." She hung up and tossed the phone beside John, not too far. "Everyone else says hi."

John managed a small smile. "Well, we managed to put the TV back in place and the chandelier back up. Good thing they didn't suffer too much. But how are we going to get the right size glass back into the table?" He pointed.

"Guess and check," Eliza said with a shrug. She reached behind the couch for the glass they'd gotten sent from Laf and Herc earlier. "Now we just have to get it to the right size."

Right as Eliza prepared to swing the chainsaw, dropped off by Benjamin, onto the glass, her phone rang. Very abnormally loudly. So loud that she was startled enough to drop the chainsaw and accidentally start it off. She shrieked and jumped back as glass and wood went flying all over the room, including at her and John.

"Hello?!" she yelled into the phone, to be heard over the chained monstrosity.

_"Liz, it's Phillip! What's all that racket?!"_

Eliza gasped and fidgeted. "Uh, not sure if you want to know... but anyway, why'd you call?"

_"Al's going to need a bit of patchwork done. We have sone gauze in the upstairs bathroom you can use. We found Alex, so we'll be back fast."_

Right as Eliza muttered an "Okay," and hung up, the chainsaw immediately stopped. She and John looked at the chipped mess that had been the coffee table.

Eliza started to sniff. "We're going to be in so much trouble..."

==========

"Hello? We're back!" called a booming voice, and then George stepped through the front door, with Martha following after him. They looked around. It was oddly quiet. Where is everyone?

As if on cue, Alex padded out towards the door to greet Martha. She bent down to pat him on the head before straightening up and tilting her own head. She looked at George.

"What's going on?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Beats me."

As soon as they made their way into the living room, leaving Alex to his own devices, Martha shrieked, "What happened here?! And where are those three?!" as soon as she caught sight of the ruins of their old coffee table, with a chainsaw muddled in the mess.

"Alexander! Elizabeth! Johnathan!" George called them all out in succession. "If you don't come out here and explain what just happened, you're about to be in deep trouble!"

That's when they heard them.

Crying. And it was coming in the direction of the patio.

They opened the screen door - and found all three of them, along with Phillip, sitting on the ground with their heads in their hands, crying quietly.

George softened his tone. "What happened here?"

At this, all four of them raised their faces. All of them were puffy and swollen, and John's face was twisted in more pain than the others'.

"Phillip?" Martha asked. "What are you doing up?"

It was Alexander who spoke up. "He was just studying for this test he was stressed over. It's my fault he's even awake right now."

"No, it's not," Phillip said firmly. "Mom, don't blame him. I was already awake before he came. He was only trying to catch Alex and he fell into my bedpost."

"Then he came out here and slipped away to the park, John fell into the table and accidentally smashed the glass; Alexander and Phillip went out to catch him," Eliza supplied.

"But things got a bit out of hand and now I'm covered in scratches," Alexander added. "So are they," he said, pointing to Eliza, John, and Phillip.

"And while they were trying to get him back,  _we_ were trying to fix things up around here. We put the TV and chandelier back in place, but we had to call for some help to fix the coffee table. And let's just say that didn't go so well either," said John.

All four of them looked straight into the adults' eyes, tears running down their faces once more. "We're so sorry."

Martha and George were speechless for a second, before they simply walked closer to them.

"Well," George said, "at least you weren't in any legal trouble."

"That's some incentive to redo the living room, I suppose," Martha added with a chuckle, "although I do wish it hadn't come in the form of such a blunt message."

George and Martha reached down hands to pull all of the dejected up, being more careful with John once they found out how much pain he was actually in.

Moments after, they called Aaron, Maria, and Laf to take them home and patch them up while they saw to Phillip's own injuries.

Well, no one was going to forget this night.

(And just in honor of it, the four of them have formed a group called the Cat-Scratched.)

**Author's Note:**

> Keep eyes peeled for that Textathon name to be a real work soon :P


End file.
